Legends and Tales IVom Angmagsalik. 261 



"I have not finished yet!" As soon as she had fastened the thong 

 to the stone, she ran down to the umiak, leapt into it, and they 

 rowed as fast as they could out to sea. 



The whale tugged at the thong; but his wife did not come. So 

 he went out to look for her and saw her in the boat far away. He 

 rolled down to the water, and as he bounded out, he lashed the 

 water up into foam, and swam on the surface of the water after 

 the boat. He swam so hard that it was just as if he were drawing 

 the boat up towards him. He soon drew near the boat, and the people 

 in it were afraid that he would crush the boat when he reached it. 

 So they told the whale's wife that she was to cast her boot in the 

 water. So she drew off one of her boots, and flung it into the 

 water. The whale snuffed at it and examined it, and was thus 

 retarded a little; but he was soon off once more in pursuit of the 

 boat. When he approached the boat again, the same scene was 

 repeated with the other boot. He came up with them once more, 

 and the same thing happened with her stockings. When he grew 

 tired of playing with the stockings, he started off again in pursuit. 

 The others told the whale's wife to cast away her anorak. She took 

 it off and flung it out. The whale disported himself with it, splashing 

 the water about in all directions, but started off afresh in pursuit 

 of the boat, which was now close to shore. He swam faster than 

 ever, and was now just about to reach the boat; but then the 

 people in the boat told his wife that she was to cast away her 

 natit. She threw them out, and the whale snuffed at them, and 

 got more excited than ever, because they smelt so nice. When he 

 had finished, he again went in pursuit of the boat; but the boat 

 ran ashore, and the whale likewise beside it. Here he died and be- 

 came a skeleton again. 



15. THE TWO BOYS WHO COULD KEEP UNDER WATER 



told by Utuak. 



There was once a widower who had two sons. When the 

 father went out hunting, the boys went down to a pond where they 

 practised swimming. One day the father said to the boys: "Let me 

 see whether you can go down under water!". They went to a steep 

 slope, from which the elder boy leapt first, followed by the other. 

 They dived down into the water, and the father waited for them 

 to come up again ; but when he had waited in vain for them to 

 come up again, the father went home, and here he found his sons 

 sitting in front of the lamp, shivering with cold. 



